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While many accidents result in only minor injuries, others can, unfortunately, result in catastrophic injuries that can change your life forever. One of the most serious injuries you can suffer is an amputation, whether the limb was lost in the accident or had to be subsequently removed because your injuries were too extensive. Either way, you face a lifetime of disability, affecting your ability to work, take care of your family, or simply go about your daily life. If you have lost a limb or are facing a possible amputation due to an accident, you may be entitled to compensation. An amputation lawyer can help you understand your options.
Amputation injuries are permanent injuries that involve the loss of a body part, such as a finger, hand, arm, toe, foot, or leg. They can be caused by:
One thing all of these accidents have in common is that they may result in a lifetime of disability. As an experienced personal injury attorney knows, amputation victims face massive medical bills, rehabilitation costs, prosthetic device costs, and missed time from work.
Amputation accidents can be the result of improper machinery maintenance, improper employee training, unsafe working conditions, or lack of protective equipment. Some amputations are surgically performed, such as when a limb cannot be spared due to serious injuries. Following a traumatic accident, medical professionals may need to amputate a limb or other body part in order to save a patient’s life.
Traumatic amputation injuries occur when a limb is wholly or partially severed in an accident. Victims of traumatic amputation are at risk for serious complications, including bleeding, infection, shock, and death. Traumatic amputation can result from a car crash, during which forces can be so great that parts of the body are torn from the rest of the body. When an accident is the cause of traumatic amputation, the victims and their families are left to face the trauma.
Amputations are expensive, both financially and psychologically. Amputation injuries can result in a disability that lessens the quality of living. The loss of a limb, like other life-changing tragedies, can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, grief, and depression.
Amputations are also financially costly, both immediately after the accident and possibly for the rest of the victim’s life. Multiple surgeries may be required to repair nerve damage, and amputees may need prosthetic limbs costing thousands of dollars that need to be replaced every few years.
Under the law, you are entitled to be made whole if your accident was caused by someone else’s negligence. As a result, your compensation, or “damages,” may extend far beyond your medical bills. There are some unique losses associated with amputation cases that could affect the value of your case.
Amputations often require multiple surgeries and extensive recovery. During this time it can be difficult, if not impossible, for you to go to work, resulting in lost income. You may be entitled to compensation for any lost income you experience as a result of your accident, both immediately following the accident as well as lost income while receiving treatment in the weeks and months to come.
If your amputation leaves you unable to work or perform in your prior occupation, you may also be entitled to compensation for your future lost wages. For example, if a surgeon loses an arm and can no longer perform surgery, they may be entitled to compensation for any lost future income if they must now take a lower-paying job. An amputation lawyer will be able to determine what compensation you can seek as a result of your accident.
Because amputations are permanent, your potential non-economic damages require careful consideration. Unlike your medical expenses or lost income, non-economic damages are more difficult to calculate since they are not reflected in a bill or invoice. Your non-economic damages are subjective in nature, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t real. If you’ve suffered an amputation, you may be entitled to compensation for the following:
Non-economic damages are very difficult for non-lawyers to prove and often challenged by the insurance companies. An experienced amputation lawyer will know how to document your claim and prove your non-economic damages so that you can get the compensation you need to rebuild your life.
Firm founder, P. Ryan Banafshe, represented a motorcyclist who lost his leg and suffered other serious injuries after a collision with a utility truck. With evidence such as the fact the man had the right of way, the California Court awarded him and his family almost $24 million dollars in damages in March 2021.
If you have lost a limb in an accident at work, you may be eligible for compensation from your employer. If you are unable to work due to a traumatic amputation injury, you may be eligible for compensation for future lost wages. If someone else is at fault for your dismemberment injury, contact an amputation attorney at Banafshe Law Firm, PC, at 800-789-8840.